Baltimore officer gets 45 days in jail for assault of suspect in break-in of girlfriend's home

WMAR Staff

1:23 PM, Apr 16, 2014

4:20 PM, Apr 16, 2014

BALTIMORE - A Baltimore City police officer was sentenced to 45 days in jail followed by 18 months of probation and 200 hours of community service for assaulting a man in police custody and then hindering the internal affairs investigation into the incident.

The sentence came a little more than two months after a jury convicted Anthony Williams of second-degree assault and obstructing and hindering the internal affairs investigation. The case centered around Williams beating a drug suspect who had broken into his girlfriend’s home.

Williams, along with Sgt. Marinos Gialamas, were convicted in the beating of Antoine Green.

According to the Baltimore State’s Attorney Office, on Oct. 27, 2011 police observed Green take part in a suspected drug transaction and began to pursue him. Green eventually broke into a home in 2200 block of Prentiss Place in East Baltimore.

Green claimed that he thought the house was vacant. Instead, the home was where Williams’ girlfriend and 7-year-old child lived. Police responded to the call, arrested Greene, and then placed him in a transport vehicle, which began to pull away.

However, a short time later, Gialamas called for Green to be returned to the house in Prentiss Place, where Green was assaulted. Gialamas was convicted of misconduct in the case and is set to be sentenced on Friday.

"As this case demonstrates yet again, we will aggressively prosecute officers who harm citizens in violation of the law. No one is above the law in our City," State's Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein said in a statement.

Adding another layer to this case is the allegations made by Baltimore police Det. Joseph Crystal, who reported being harassed because he agreed to testify against Williams and Gialamas. He told Baltimore County police that he found a dead rat on his car. That, he said, was done to label him a snitch.

"The Baltimore Police Department initiated the investigation leading to today's sentencing. This outcome is reflective of our commitment to hold ourselves to a higher standard," said Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez in a statement. "Working with the State's Attorney's Office we will continue to hold officers who violate the public trust accountable."